What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Nic Rhodes]

Made up 6x National cedar broods boxes and 4x 8" National cedar deep roofs for next year Plenty more to go.

 

[dpearce4]

Found a handy local supplier of fondant ( baker) and while there bought 6 food quality buckets at 10p each. No need to worry about honey buckets in the sales now.
Not putting any fondant on yet as they do not need it, but I expect they might in the new year.

Cheeky sod that he charged you. he should pay you as he would normally have to put them in his rubbish which as trade waste he as to pay to be removed.

Most sandwich shops, bakers and other food shops get through thousands of 5 and 10ltr a year.

 

[busybee53]

On the reuse of food quality buckets for honey .... do the previous contents of the plastic buckets affect the taste of honey like jars previously used for jam do? (As stated on another thread)

Has anyone told us not to re-use buckets yet?

 

[busybee53]

Just thinking it seems daft we can't reuse jars when we might be putting honey from reused buckets into new jars. Defeats the object a bit. Plus I have a nice stock of buckets which used to contain jam or mayo from a cafe, all with nice lids.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Found a handy local supplier of fondant ( baker) and while there bought 6 food quality buckets at 10p each. No need to worry about honey buckets in the sales now.

Cheeky sod that he charged you.

sort of, although I think the baker is probably a bit more 'enterprising' than mine - who today offered to deliver the fondant I've ordered, and has had to be persuaded not to keep blue buckets to one side for me.

I rinse them with bicarb solution to get rid of any odours.

Re-using working equipment isn't the same as re-using something you're going to use to package a product for sale.

 

[Polyanwood]

I took off some feeders and put fondant on all the nucs today.

 

[victor meldrew]

Nothing in apiary,too busy.setting up this new dangled iPad mini Nice piece of kit. Plus side I don' have hair to pull out:d

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

At the association apiary doling out the fondant we bought Friday more of a chance to gossip with other beekeepers really - put insulation on my hive down there - had to open up to take out the eke - bees all tightly clustered in one corner obviously shut down now for winter.

 

[dickndoris]

Found a queen marked this year at the entrance to her nuc! Thought she was dead but after holding her in my hand saw the little antenna twitch so we sat in front of the wood stove together to warm up, had a chat and dropped her back in the nuc. I guess this is going to be one of a few not to make the winter :-( What a crap year it's been!

Found a sealed queen cell in a nuc 10 days ago too. The queen was still laying and all looked very well. I took it out and it was charged. A couple of days extra and she would have been out..Eeeeeek....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Found a sealed queen cell in a nuc 10 days ago too. The queen was still laying and all looked very well. I took it out and it was charged. A couple of days extra and she would have been out..Eeeeeek....

Could have been supersedure so it seems they aren't happy with the existing queen - but they wouldn't have chopped her until the new one was proven (Probably!)

 

[user 6228]

tipping it down very few bees moving...


trouble with other animals ... the two of us have spent all day cutting up a pig and making bacon and pamber ham... with all the too and froing I think I have carried about 1/2 ton of pigmeat today....

 

[dickndoris]

All out flying today and still bringing in pollen! Wasps out too Grrrrrrrr......

 

[Fraise]

As I went home for lunch the large fuschia outside our front door was alive and humming. Went to look at the hives and the girls are taking advantage of the sunhine and hauling in supplies. Its 9 degrees C.

 

[stephenpug]

All out flying today and still bringing in pollen! Wasps out too Grrrrrrrr......

loads of mine are out bringing in loads of yellow pollen as well but lucky for me so far no sign of any wasps,i hope none show up as i have now taken of my entrance reducers and put on mouse guards

 

[acabee]

Temp around 13C, warmer than of late with intermittent sunshine. Plenty of activity on both hives...some looks like orientation flights of new winter bees? One hive bringing in more pollen that other. Drones still in evidence / flying though I see more and more being ejected each day. Awaiting to put mouse guard on yet as only had 1 real frost and want to check wasps are not a problem before installing. When will the bees finally go to bed ...??

acabee

 

[simoncav]

So Derek, are the bacon sandwiches on you this Saturday?

 

[user 6228]

So Derek, are the bacon sandwiches on you this Saturday?

Not from this pig. Although it only takes a week in the salt sugar and potassium nitrate...With dry cure you need to leave the bacon a month after the cure and wash down. This for the salt to distribute is self more evenly through the meat...

 

[oldsalthouse]

Only been 6-7c today but all the hives have been busy, lots of pollen

 

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

Painted a few hive stands today in preparation for taking out to apiary at the weekend. Visited one out apiary and saw plenty of activity around 1pm with bees still bringing in a reasonable amount of pollen.
Took a trip to a nearby farmer and got permission to put hives in a small copse of trees next to a 50 acre field of OSR for next spring. All he wants me to do is clear out the few brambles that have grown in there and tidy up after myself so good news!

 

[whoosling]

Checked bees, havn't been near them for a few days and they were out and about collecting pollen - great as hive still feels abit light - at least I think so, this being my 1st winter I'm not to sure.